MUSINGS

A few months ago, just prior to the COVID outbreak, Howard and I had a terrible experience with Chase Credit Card service. We had a fraudulent $4800 charge. Chase was miserable to deal with, and it took quite a bit of maneuvering to get them to rectify it. I was going to write about the problem and the difficult road I took to resolve it. But now, although people still have similar issues and need to know how to fix them, it just doesn’t seem as pressing when we’re in the midst of this health crisis. Stay tuned—I’ll write about it later. But for now, a few thoughts as we move through our current experience.

On the less urgent side, I’ve found that so many people are yearning for haircuts. I remembered that my sister in law had a Flobee—a home haircutting system—sort of combo razor/vacuum. It had worked for her, so I looked online and found that both Ebay and Amazon have Flobee and a few other home haircut systems. I told one very desperate friend about my research. He ordered a clipper system. It was nice to hear him tell me how happy he was once it arrived and his wife did the job for him. (You, too, can have a new and unexpected experience after 47 years of marriage.) Sometimes, it’s the little things that count. For me, that wouldn’t work with my curls. Right now, I look like something between Einstein and Frankenstein. Our 4 year old Avery has an answer—“Nana, you can brush it or comb it.” Very logical. But this would be tough— my curls grow outward, as well as downward. Little did she know. But, Avery has some good solutions to other current problems.

On FaceTime, Howard, Tracy and I were talking about future dilemmas—how could theaters possibly open and maintain social distance? Avery piped up and said: “I know. People can sit in different rows”. Great answer. Perhaps she should run for president. I have the image in my head—the procession to the inauguration with the incoming president waving to the public from her carseat. 

So, what can we do to keep occupied and balanced now, "gentle reader”? (Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre”). We can go back to classics and refresh ourselves with a brilliant literary past. Or, if I can ever concentrate, I think that I’ll go back to Noir—pulp fiction from the 30s through the 50s. There’s nothing better than Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain. There are some great compilations with stories of varying length for readers of varying attention spans. You can also find the movie format. Some great movies were made from that literature—”Dial M for Murder”, “The Lady in the Lake”, “The Maltese Falcon”. Or, on a more mundane level, maybe just reruns of “Law and Order”. One of the few good things about getting older is that we can see something that we’d seen before, but don’t remember so well. With this experience, something old creates a whole new experience—especially the “who done it” part. 

Another friend pointed out that there’s irony in the fact that in normal times, virtual, online activity can keep us apart. In a normal world, while being online can connect us a bit, too frequently, people think that it’s a substitute for reality. But now, with lockdown, being online and virtual can truly connect us. There’s Face Time and Zoom—though I find Zoom a little chaotic. And many museums and community centers have virtual activities that keep people involved with more than who and what’s in their house. Take a look at the various museums—not only in the US, but all over the world. They’re a reminder that beauty still exists and will return.

Of course, humor’s a great uplift. I always smile at the laughing Elvis, breaking up during a performance of “Are You Lonesome Tonight”. Take a look on You Tube--  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoqVFEE1UBY

How about the many people working from home while kids are out of school? We make story time with Avery so that Tracy can have a break (and because we love and miss that child). She particularly likes it when Grandpa reads to her. And she likes my stories about Helen, Ellen and Mellen (maybe Melon—since they’re made up, we haven’t figured out the correct spelling). When Cory and Tracy were little, my in laws took them for a morning. My father in law reported that Tracy said that when she grew up, she would have three children—Helen, Ellen and Mellen. So, I created stories about the three girls. Sometimes I plan them; sometimes I wing it. One morning, after we’d cleaned and gone for a walk, Howard and I were a bit tired. But we needed to step up to the plate when Tracy and Avery called for an impromptu story time. For some reason, all I could think of was a story from my childhood. Uncertain about whether it was appropriate, I gave it a shot—with disclaimers. “Promise me that you'll never do this; Nana shouldn’t have done it; I wouldn’t do it now.” And so I told the story about how around age 12, at summer camp, the girls in the bunk older than ours would tease and bully us constantly. One day, Carol Shore went too far. As I sat playing jacks and drinking chocolate milk with my friend, Susan, I’d had it when Carol started to taunt us. Without thinking, I threw the chocolate milk in her face. (Contents only—not the paper cup.) I was pretty surprised that I did that—not my typical modus operandi. Carol (and my friend, Susan) were stunned. As Carol’s bunk watched, and my bunk watched, I became the new heroine. Carol and her cohorts never bothered us again. Avery liked the story. I repeated the disclaimers. Very calmly and with great wisdom, she said “You were only a kid”. Again, Avery For President.

And, as always, don’t forget to be a good consumer. Many car insurers are offering discounts because people aren’t driving so much during the “shelter in place” order. Check out your insurance and possible discount. And AAA and AARP have courses for drivers over 55. Taking the course can yield an insurance discount. Boring, but now’s the time. And it never hurts to save money. 

And so, we march on, doing what we can to stay sane, knowing that life will gradually go back to normal.

STAY SAFE, ALL!